I printed my image onto X-press Blending paper and colored her with my Copics. I used my Versamark pen to cover her hair making it sticky allowing me to coat it with clear embossing powder in order to heat set making it very shiny. I mounted my main image using 3-D foam adhesive on top of a doily cut from one of my MFT dies.

I used papers from my stash in hues of green, purple, and kraft. Using one of my MFT flower dies, I created the pink flower and by hand I created the blue felt flower. I used sandpaper...yes...sandpaper for the two tiny flowers. I adhered everything with hot glue so that nothing wiggles and falls off. The tiny, yellow striped heart in the background is also cut from an MFT die.

As a last accent I added one of my favorite tiny clothespins that you can see I distressed using my Hero Hues Latte Chalk Ink.

Come on over with your skully creation and play with us over at the Dilly Beans Challenge Blog!!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Good Morning!! Welcome to another fabulous challenge over at the Paper and Such challenge blog! Our newest challenge is anything Springy! For my project, I've used the newly released Sweet Chickiedigital image.

I printed her three times. Once on X-press blending cardstock then two more times on patterned paper so that I could paper piece her dress.

I colored her with my Copics and then pieced her dress. I did the front of her dress, apron style, then the back (the part she's sitting on) to make it look like she was wearing a full front apron. I've used papers from Authentique - Splendid. I used my MFT Chat Bubbles to house my sentiment, which is from the beautiful Paper and Such Wild Rose Set.

I added chocolate stitching to my layers, a bit of scalloping, and a large, fluffy teal bow to finish it off.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Good Morning Everyone!! I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend!! I spent lots of time with my hubby and kiddies, tending to my garden (mulching in March!! unheard of...) and visiting with great friends. I did manage to find a bit of time on Friday morning to work on this week's sketch challenge for MFT!

A fantastic sketch as always, right?!?! I thought so! And here's my interpretation:

I started with my 5"x5" chocolate cardstock base. I then used my white corrugated cardboard, which I ran through my Big Shot first to flatten down a bit, as my background. I ran a zig zag stitch around the edge and lightly brushed it with Tea Dye Distress ink and my ink blending tool.

I pulled out a bag of thin, wood circles that I purchased in the kids section at my local Michael's. I used my Brilliance pearlescent inks in orange, jade and pink to coat the circles and then clear heat emboss. I then used my hot glue gun to position all of the circles to create my fun background. I did not sand the circles first as I wanted the rough wood grain texture to show through.

I used the newly released Triple Scoop Promo Big Greetings as my main focal sentiment. I chose the sentiment "Sending Big Hugs" to stamp on my sticky back canvas to tuck behind my rolled flowers and flowery paper strip. I used my Solid Bracket Border as an added detail on the main strip through the center of my card.

My interior uses Well Worn Greetings. I continued the use of the white cardboard, once again, flattening it down with my Big Shot in order to stamp my "You're Priceless" greeting.

I also used my Solid Bracket Border again on the inside. My papers are from MME - Oh La La.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Greetings Fabulous Bombshell Fans!! I'm so glad to be posting today
as it will be my last post as a Bombshell!!! I've decided to resign my
seat on the Bombshell Team in order to pass the proverbial torch so to speak onto another fabulous artist! It's been an amazing two terms as a full
Bombshell and one as a Pin-up and I can't thank Shannon - Owner and
Amazing Bombshell, Kathi - Fabulous and Amazing Bombshell and Design
Team Captain, along with the wonderfully supportive and kind team
members. Girls...I will miss you intensely!!!

Ok -
enough sap...onto today's project! I have a video showing you how I create my paper rosettes. But first, here is the finished project using my Bombshell Stamps : Butterfly Dreams and Banner Sayings sets.

Greetings Dilly Bean fans!! Popping in today to bring you our newest challenge over at the Dilly Beans Challenge blog - this week's theme is Party!! I've created a very simple and sweet birthday card for a dear friend's upcoming celebration.

I've used one of Megan's adorable new Amalia images for my project today. I have colored her with my Copics and paper pieced (shock...I know;) her hair, tiara and star at the end of her wand. I'm on a huge paper rosette kick lately and have added those along with some hand made embellishments that go right on top of the rosette giving it more dimension and texture!

I've added some fun and really soft yarn tied into a double bow and added some of my very favorite resin flowers dotted here and there. The Happy Birthday sentiment is from MFT.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Happy Monday Everyone!! I'm here today to participating in this month's challenge over at the Hero Arts Blog. There are multiple challenges that can be wrapped up into one or multiple creations. I've chosen two pieces of the challenge, flowers and color to incorporate into this creation which happens to be a sympathy card. I don't know about you, but I find certain creations come easier than others and bereavement cards are definitely in the not so easy category. But with the colors in this challenge I was able to pull together something that I find serene and calming.

Here are the colors issued in this challenge:

And here is my interpretation using the above colors and flowers that I made using MFT's Beautiful Botanical and Fringed Perennial Die-namics. I used SU! Night of Navy cardstock combined with Heidi Grace - Moonlight Meadow 12x12 paper to create the flowers. I cut multiple layers of both papers and combined them together to create super full and fabulous blossoms. I used hot glue to keep them together and once they were dried, I used my Big Bite in order to place the matching brad in the centers.

I started with a base of SU! Night Of Navy cardstock. I then pulled patterned papers, all from MME Darling Dear, Be Amazing and Dilly Dally 6x6 paper packs. I love to use corrugated cardboard in my creations and I use the Ouchless Cardboard from Gauche Alchemy. It's fabulous as it comes in Kraft and White. I ran the cardboard through my die cutting machine to soften it and flatten it a bit in order to stamp on it. I used my VersaMagic Night Sky ink to stamp the Flower Bursts Pattern background cling stamp.

Once I stamped I coated the image with clear embossing powder and heat set it to give it extra shine. I used my Hero Hues Latte Chalk Ink to distress the layers, flowers and edges of my card. I added stitching and self-adhesive pearls as well as a bit of Tim Holtz decorative paper tape surrounding my sentiment, which is from MFT's Clearly Sentimental about Sympathy set.

As you can see, I used a basic manila tag from my local office supply store to stamp my sentiment. Once again, I used the Hero Hues Latte Chalk Ink and my Distress Ink in Tea Dye to ink and distress the edges of my tag. I added some PTI twill ribbon to embellish my tag.

I adhered everything together and added my flowers using my hot glue gun just to ensure that they stay put. I've finished the interior very simply using another sentiment from the same MFT set as well as a mini-rosette cut using my Tim Holtz mini-rosette die.

I added a bit of Tim Holtz paper tape as well as a few of the extra centers that I had cut from my exterior flowers to the cardboard rosette.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Greetings everyone! I hope you are having a lovely Saturday! I had a bit of time yesterday to do some creating for this week's most recent MFT Sketch Challenge in addition to a new color/embellishments challenge over at the Embellish Magazine Blog. I subscribe to the lovely Sarah Martina's blog and saw this wonderful challenge in her post yesterday.

Here is the awesome MFT sketch for this week:

And here is the fabulous inspiration from the Embellish Blog:

And here is my interpretation of both!

I find sketches to be a constant "go-to" for me as it really takes another level out of the designing process which is super helpful when I am pressed for time which I always seem to be. I consider myself VERY blessed to be a SAHM of two amazing kids (7.5 and 6 years old). My eldest is in first grade and my youngest is in his last year of pre-school which only meets three part-time days a week so my free time (hahahahah) is limited at best.

But I digress! I used some random papers from my stash along with some MME Oh La la For Her 6x6 papers. I pulled out one of my newest and very favorite MFT stamp sets, Vertical Greetings. I first inked and stamped the words YOU and PLACE using a regular bright pink, water based Crayola marker (Copics don't work for this technique as they are alcohol based) and I don't have any other kinds of markers. I then cleaned my stamp and using a dew drop sized Momento ink pad (Tuxedo Black) coated the rest of the sentiment and stamped it.

I used MFT's Finishing Flourishes (a MUST have in my opinion!) for the flag element on the top right of the card. I needed a 'thank you' card for a dear friend of mine and this combination of sentiments is just perfect! To coordinate along with the Embellish Blog challenge, I pulled out my mini Tim Holtz Rosette die and using the different coordinating papers plus some corrugated cardboard I created my embellished elements.

I added stitching to each layer and two heart topped stick pins within the cluster of rosettes for some added visual interest.

I finished the interior very simply but with enough pizazz to be pretty!

As always thank you to the lovely creative minds at MFT for their fabulous weekly sketches. If you'd like to come and play along (there's a fabby prize!) you can join in on the fun right here. And if you'd like to play along at the Embellish Blog that can be found right here!

Friday, March 16, 2012

Greetings everyone!! Happy Friday and welcome to another weekly installment of our Dilly Beans Challenges! I'm absolutely loving all of the beautiful entries that you are all submitting. It's wonderful to see all of Megan's amazing images used in such different ways!! Today I'm using one of Dilly Bean's newest images, Amalia. Really?? She is entirely too cute!!!

I printed her twice. Once on really good quality white cardstock and again on PTI designer paper. I then colored her with my Copics and then paper pieced her hair. I've been in a big scrappy, vintagy, mixed media mood lately so I kind of went all over the place with the design on this.

I used many of my MFT Die-namics dies (stars, star border, letters), some resin flowers (obsessed...), Tim Holtz notebook ledger paper stamp, and lots of fun blue stitching! I cut my stars using PTI felt (total swoon) to add more texture and dimension. In order to add a bit more substance to my letters, I cut them out three times and adhered them together making them more like a chipboard embellishment.

I have had this (and a few other) rosette/award banner panels in my stash for a long time now. They were on sale at Michael's last spring for under $1 so I grabbed a few knowing I'd do something with them. I trimmed off the ribbon tails as they were too fussy. I sponged the edges of the sheer ruffles with Hero Hues Latte Chalk Ink and added my image right on top.

My interior is simply covered with two matching layers of cardstock and designer papers stitched together with the same blue thread. I feel like my creations simply are not complete until I've done at least a little bit of creating on the interior.

I stamped my image twice allowing me to pop up a second layer of some of the petals. I used my Copics to haphazardly color the edges of the petals to add a bit of shading. I used some subtle buttons and baker's twine in the center of the flowers. I used the smaller of the two daisy images that are included in the set to create my background using Versamark and clear embossing powder.

I added a small rosette in the lower right hand corner altering it a bit from the sketch as that is how it was working best for my design.

I hope you come play with us right here at the Paper and Such Challenge Blog!

I've colored Tobie with my Copics and paper pieced his sweatshirt and puddle stomping boots! I used my Versamark pen to coat his boots and the puddle beneath him. I then coated them with clear embossing powder and heat set them so that they looked all wet and shiny.

I used a sentiment from the Nutsy Kaylee Stamp Set to create a balanced focal area next to Tobie. I used some pre-cut felt stars that I had in my stash - the red and green are from a pre-cut embellishment pack and the orange one was cut using an MFT Die-namics die.

I kept the rest of this creation very CAS (for me;) but Tobie was too cute and really didn't need much more IMO!

Hope you all have a great day and I'll see you around the bloggy block tomorrow!!

Friday, March 9, 2012

Greetings Paper and Such Friends! Thanks for being here with us today on this great blog hop as we release two fabulous new sets! May I introduce you to "Get Well Chick" and "Daisy". They are both sweet, versatile and very easy to color and/or paper piece!

But before I show you the sets...you should have arrived here from my friend Kendra's blog. If you did not, you will definitely want to start hopping HERE!

My first creation features the new Daisy set:

I used the larger bunch of Daises as you can see above and one of five available sentiments.

I stamped my image on watercolor paper, heat embossed and then painted with Distress Inks and Pearlized Water. (a tutorial will come...I promise!)

I then coated only some of the petals with Glossy Accents for added dimension and texture.

I went a bit shabby chic with my scrappy elements of corrugated cardboard coated with ink and heat embossed, ruffled and a bit tattered rolled flowers, monopoly money (hiding under the flowers), some die cut leafy flourishes, lots of stitching and some seam binding.

My second creation simply makes me giggle. The image is entirely too sweet but could go to the land of "snarky-ville" should you choose to head there! (wink!)

Here's the full set called "Get Well Chick".

Here's my creation which I kept very CAS (for me at least! ;)

I inked the image with Momento ink and colored everything with my Copics. I then cut the image out with a tag shaped die, coated it with Versamark Ink, clear embossing powder and heat set the entire thing making it look psuedo-laminated. I LOVE the texture this treatment adds!

I then added some zig zag stitching with red thread and added some black and white gingham ribbon. Very "farmy" I thought. A few resin flowers (if you're a regular here at Paper Canteen you know I have a growing obsession with these!), some more stitching and a fabulous sentiment and I was happy!

I hope you've enjoyed my creations using these fantastic new sets that are available now at the Paper and Such Store along with SO much more! Dies, twine, paper, OH MY! Head on over and shop shop shop!!

Now off you hop to the lovely Stephanie's blog to see what lovely creations she's got in store for you!!

Greetings All! Thanks for popping in with me here on a wonderful Friday! It's a new challenge day at Dilly Beans and this week we challenge you to use glitter in your project! It leads to so many possiblilites and we can't wait to see what you bring to the challenge!

As you can see I had a LOT of fun with glitter and microbeads!! I first printed the images off and colored them with my Copic and Prismacolor markers. I then added Glossy Accents (have you notice that I use it for literally EVERYTHING?! love that stuff) to the polka dots and flowers on all three mushrooms. The smaller two I used glitter and the larger mushroom I added microbeads on top of the Glossy Accents. I let it set for about an hour and then heat set it with my heat tool. The beads get all "melty" and stick together very nicely.

I added a few different scraps of patterned paper from my desk, a bit of stitching and a fun handmade embellishment using my MS butterfly punch.

I do hope you come play with us over at Dilly Beans! Just WAIT until you see the fabulous new images that Megan has posted in the shop!

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Hi Oddies! Thank you for your kind comments here and on the Some Odd Girl Blog all week during our four day of this amazing digital release! I'm so happy to be here with you again today to introduce you to Summery Mae and Woodsy Mae. Just two more fabulously darling ladies to add to the ever growing Odd Girl Family!

My first creation features Summery Mae.

I printed her out and colored her with my Copics. I then paper pieced her skirt. All papers are Jillybean Soup and the flower and leaf are cut using MFT Die-namics.

In order to add texture to her hat I first colored the hat with my Copics. I then took a small scrap of denim fabric, and using the reverse side (so as not to transfer any denim color onto my image) dab one or two drops of your Colorless Blender Refill until just damp. Now press the fabric against the colored image. In about five seconds you pick up the fabric and the color will be lifted out of those now textured spaces by the Colorless Blender solution. It's super fun!!

My second creation uses the beautiful Woodsy Mae.

I went a bit preppie (for me ;) and used absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS Miss Caroline papers from MME. SWOON! I printed Mae and colored her with my Copics. I repeated the treatment on her pants (see tiny written tutorial above!;) to make them look like Corduroy or Suede. I added some sweet flowers and a bit of stitching and I was happy.

I hope you've enjoyed this weeks phenomenal release at Some Odd Girl! Once again, Kristy has given us even more fabulous art to create with!!

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Greetings MFT friends and fans!!! One last sketch challenge for me before I pass my Guest Designer hat onto the next amazing Guest Designer Angela!! Her project totally rocked and her win is very well deserved!!

The sketch today has SO many amazing possibilities as demonstrated by the gorgeous samples by the MFT Design Team here at Kim's blog.

I went very masculine with my creation today as I need a card for my lovely Father-In-Law for his birthday. I've used my favorite papers from Basic Grey that I always reach for when I need these types of cards.

I used SU! Bravo Burgundy as my card base, along with some navy and light blue cardstock for my matting purposes. I used one of my very favorite MFT stamp set "go-tos" Finishing Flourishes. I chose a flourish and inked it in Pure Poppy Brilliance Ink. I then heat set it with clear embossing powder. For a bit of interest, I twisted the flourish around as I stamped rather than having it facing the same way each time.

In lieu of the banner style that the sketch suggests, I took a blank tag and ran it through my die cutting machine using the Wonky Scallop Border Die-namics with my Sizzix. I then added my sentiment in black Colorbox ink and again, heat set it with clear embossing powder. I tied a bit of navy ribbon at the end where the original tag string had been.

I kept my interior very simple inking a different flourish in Grey SU! ink and adding a matching scrap of plaid BG paper.

I, once again, have to thank all of you for your very sweet and kind comments that you left me during Teaser Time. MFT has the best customers, fans and friends!!

I'm a stay at home wife to my darling hubby of almost 19 years. I'm also a homeschooling Mum of 3 small, beautiful, delicious and often sticky children and a gorgeous and sweet pitbull named Katie.
I've always loved art, crafting and photography. I find time every single day to work one or all of these into the mere 24 hours that we have daily. I find it fulfills my soul, my mind and keeps my "zen" in check.